Stranded ship “Vera Su” stabilised with additional anchors

The stranded “Vera Su” cargo ship, which ran aground near the protected area of Yaylata, north of Kalikra, was stabilised with additional anchors on October 4.

The 9-member crew is on board the vessel because the ship owner did not consent to the evacuation of the sailors.

Early this morning, an action began to further stabilise the ship. A diving inspection of the breach, which opened when the ship crashed into the rocks, was also carried out. The seabed was also inspected.

For the time being, the crew refuses to leave the vessel, and in case of evacuation it will be carried out either by water with boats or by land with a special net stretched from the bow of the ship to one of the nearby rocks.

The Prosecutor's office has not yet interviewed members of the crew. The people who were on watch on the ship at the time of the collision should be interviewed.

The European Maritime Safety Agency is sending three special barges, on which the nitrogen fertilizer from Vera Su will be tranfered. However, part of this cargo will be transferred with a special pump that will suck it up because it is wet from the sea water that went on board. The barges are expected to arrive near Yaylata as early as tomorrow.

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The ship Vera SU, travelling on route from Ukraine to the port of Varna, got stuck in the rocks near the protected area of Yaylata on September 20,

No member of the ship's crew was injured in the incident, and there was no spill at sea. The ship, sailing under a Panamanian flag, was transporting nitrogen fertilizers from Ukraine to Varna.

The Maritime Administration announced that the entire crew consisted of 9 people, all Turkish citizens. The ship is owned by a Turkish company. The reason for the collision, according to them, is the inappropriate behaviour of the sailors who were on watch.

An investigation is ongoing into the causes of the incident. The site was inspected for evidence of a crime, and to determine how the ship can be safely refloated.